The present invention relates to an arrangement for monitoring the filling elements of a filling machine that, for filling containers, especially bottles, with a liquid filling material, has a plurality of such filling elements disposed on a rotating rotor, with each of the filling elements having a closeable bell-shaped portion for accommodating a container that is to be filled, with the bell-shaped portion being designed to operate at a processing pressure of a gaseous or vaporous medium, with this processing pressure being other than ambient pressure, and preferably being greater than ambient pressure.
Especially to dispense liquid material into containers, especially bottles, in an aseptic or sterile manner, a filling machine is known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,673, Clusserath) that has a plurality of filling elements on a rotor that rotates about a vertical machine axis or axis of rotation; each filling element, on a housing, has a downwardly open bell-shaped portion that can be closed off by a plate that is provided below the respective filling element, can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism, and forms a support surface for the respective container that is to be filled, with the bell-shaped portion being adapted to be acted upon by the pressure of a gaseous or vaporous medium. The bell-shaped portions are embodied in such a way that even in a closed state, each bell-shaped portion completely accommodates the container that is to be filled. With the aseptic or sterile dispensing, the medium that is supplied under pressure to the respectively closed bell-shaped portion is a sterilization medium in the form of saturated steam that is introduced into the respective bell-shaped portion during a sterilization phase, i.e. is introduced when the filling element that is provided with this bell-shaped portion has, after passing the container inlet, reached a certain angular position. For the desired sterilization effect, it is necessary that an overpressure for the sterilization medium builds up in the interior of the respectively closed bell-shaped portion, with this overpressure being greater than a prescribed minimum pressure. For example, when a defective closing of a bell-shaped portion occurs, for example due to excessive wear of sealing elements or the like, this minimum pressure for the sterilization or processing medium is not ensured.
In addition to or instead of supplying the bell-shaped portions with a sterilization medium that is under pressure, it is, for example, also conceivable, for other process reasons, to supply the closed bell-shaped portions with an over-pressure of some other medium, for example with a pressure of CO.sub.2 gas, or with an underpressure, whereby the desired effect and quality of such a processing is also a function of whether or not the respective processing pressure deviates from the ambient pressure by a prescribed minimum value.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for monitoring the filling elements of a filling machine of the aforementioned general type, with such arrangement, at minimal structural expense, enabling a reliable monitoring of the filling elements with regard to a proper processing temperature in the closed bellshaped portions.